Lucy Li misses the cut after another 8-over-par 78 in U.S. Women’s Open

Lucy Li will not linger on the weekend, but she clearly left her mark on the U.S. Women’s Open.

Li, the 11-year-old from Redwood Shores, missed the cut today after shooting her second consecutive 78 on punishing Pinehurst No. 2. That left her at 16-over-par, well over the projected cutline of 9-over.

Lucy Li did what she could to stay cool at sweltering Pinehurst. (AP photo)

Her scores were remarkably similar to those posted by onetime prodigies Lexi Thompson and Morgan Pressel in their Open debuts. Pressel, at age 13, shot 77-77 in 2001; Thompson, at 12, shot 76-82 in 2007. Both players later won major championships, and Thompson now is ranked No. 6 in the world.

All along, Li’s fellow players encouraged her not to worry about her scores this week — but rather to enjoy the experience and learn from it. She seemed to embrace those objectives, from giggling her way through Tuesday’s news conference to eating ice cream while chatting with reporters after her opening round Thursday.

“I think she had a great time,” said Bryan Bush, the Pinehurst caddie who worked with Li this week. “I know she’s looking forward to the Public Links — so look out field, she will be coming for you. And then of course the U.S. Amateur. So she’s got a busy summer ahead of her and I wish her the best. …

“She was here for the experience and the opportunity to play with the best players in the world. She proved that she can. So it was never about her score.”

Much as she did in Thursday’s first round, Li again showed a propensity to make occasional double bogeys (or worse) — but not get flustered. She opened today’s round with a double bogey at No. 1, only to post a birdie soon thereafter at No. 3, a short par-4.

A similar sequence unfolded on the back nine. Li made triple bogey on No. 13 — and immediately came back to collect another birdie at No. 14. She had four birdies in all over her 36 holes.

“I’m really happy about how I played,” Li told reporters at Pinehurst. “I’m really happy with how I bounced back from the big numbers. I got birdies after I got like doubles and triples.”

Beyond the numbers, big and small, Li took the avalanche of attention in stride. She received several e-mails from friends back in the Bay Area; they apparently teased her about all the publicity.